While watching the Stagecoach Festival on AXStv this past weekend I was reminded that while I do enjoy some of today’s country music, I really enjoy the older stuff better. The passing of George Jones combined with seeing Don Williams on television really drove home the point that older, traditional country music and today’s country music are related in name only. I was also disappointed to see so many of the artists on the Stagecoach festival – the younger ones in particular – covering classic rock songs as opposed to the older generations of country music. Instead of covering Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings they covered Led Zeppelin and Kiss.
I do like some of today’s country music and I know that these younger artists grew up with a wide variety of music, but I am one of those people that wishes they spent more time paying tribute to the older artists of country music in addition to their influences. That’s why this week’s artist of the week is Don Williams. His set at Stagecoach was filled with songs I knew every word of, songs that made me miss older country music and he performed them so effortlessly and without much fanfare.
Don Williams is a true legend and I think he music needs to be shared with the world. I don’t think we should wait until they pass away to pay tribute to them, we should pay tribute to them while they are still alive and can appreciate the well-deserved accolades.
Folk Singer, Woodstock Legend & Blackfoot Indian Richie Havens Dead at age 72
Havens at NAMA Press Conference in NYC & performing a Hendrix Tribute at First Awards Show
New York, NY – Famed folk singer, activist, and Woodstock performer, Richie Havens, who was part Blackfoot Indian, has died of a heart attack on April 22, 2013, Earth Day, at the age of 72.
Richie Havens offered his support and commitment as a performer with Blackfoot Indian heritage during the formation of the Native American Music Awards. He proclaimed his Native American heritage at press conference announcing the launch of the Native American Music Awards in lower Manhattan on April 22, 1998, exactly 15 years ago. He was also asked by the family of the late Jimi Hendrix to perform a musical tribute for Hendrix’s induction into the N.A.M.A. Hall of Fame at the First Awards ceremony held in May 1998 at the Foxwoods Resort & Casino. Havens gave a magical and stellar performance of All Along The Watchtowerthat “catapulted the Awards show into something truly spiritual and spectacular” recalls N.A.M.A. President and Founder, Ellen Bello. His mesmerizing and unforgettable performance included a medley of Hendrix songs. The performance will be posted on www.NAMALIVE.com shortly.
Havens said his Native American heritage stemmed from his father’s side of the family who came from Montana and the South Dakota areas. In an interview with National Public Radio he stated, “They were Blackfoot Indian. They came with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, got off in New York City, left the show there and ended up on the Shinnecock Reservation in Long Island then moved to Brooklyn. And that’s how my father was born in Brooklyn and how I ended up being born in Brooklyn as well.”
Havens’ Mixed Bag IICd released in 1974 on his own label, Stormy Forest Productions, also hinted at his Blackfoot heritage. The song, “Indian Prayer” celebrates and embraces his Native American roots. For a preview of the song visit, http://www.last.fm/music/Richie+Havens/Mixed+Bag+II
Standing at 6 feet 6 inches, Havens was best known for his distinctive, rhythmic guitar style and soulful songs. He recorded 30 albums and toured for over 40 years before retiring from the road three years ago. Those who have met Havens will remember his gentle and compassionate nature, his light humor and his powerful presence.
He told Billboard Magazine that his breakthrough at the 1969 Woodstock music festival came after the opening acts’ equipment got stuck in traffic. He was supposed to be the fifth act. He became the first act and played for almost three hours. Havens remembered, “They’re gonna kill me if I go up on stage first. Give me a break. I need those four people in front of me to warm up the crowd. But the people were great. I was supposed to sing 40 minutes, which I did, and from the side of the stage they go, ‘Richie, four more songs?’ I went back and did that, then it was, ‘Four more songs…’ and that kept happening ’til two hours and 45 minutes later I had sung every song I know.” He played a galvanizing set that included “Motherless Child” that merged into his song “Freedom,” which he said came from “a totally spontaneous place.”
Havens’ Woodstock appearance proved to be a major turning point in his career giving him widespread notoriety and his highest-charting albums — “Richard P. Havens, 1983” in 1969 (No. 80 on the Billboard 200) and “Alarm Clock” in 1971 (No. 29).
Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills and Nash said Havens was an inspiration for the natural gravel in his singing voice. “He lit fire when he started playing within the first song and burned exactly the same way throughout his set. And it never stopped, it never changed” Stills said.
Havens is survived by three daughters, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. According to media reports, a public memorial for Havens will be announced at a later date. More information can be found at Havens’s official website, www.richiehavens.com.
Here are some comments NAMA members have to share:
Richie Havens was a sincere and gifted soul with a powerful presence. I am honored to have called him a colleague and a friend. We were fortunate to share the same stage from the Native American Music Awards, Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden. He will continue to inspire us all through his heartfelt and incredible singing and songwriting. – Joanne Shenandoah
Richie’s performance of “All Along the Watchtower” was a perfect example of the simple raw emotion the he always put into his performance. No bells and whistles just an acoustic guitar, a voice and a little sweat. Totally pure music. I will surely miss him. – Joe Bello, NAMA Music Director
Such a shame. What a great artist and inspiration! I went to Woodstock. My parents brought me. Well….almost. My understanding is that it was pouring down rain. And we had a Volkswagen Bus. They got it stuck in the mud on the way in. I don’t remember if they actually walked in with me or not. I will have to ask them. My folks were total hippies back then. LOL. At that time, my mom’s hair was as long as Crystal Gayle’s! – Mike Johnson, Foxwoods Casino
[Artist of the Week is a new feature on CreativelyMusical.com. It’ll be where I share some of the artists I like and have an interest in. These articles will include a few facts and some personal thoughts about each artist, plus some of my favorite songs as well. I won’t promise you’ll hear the most famous recordings they’ve done, as I have come to love deep album cuts more than radio singles. Sources for each article will be at the bottom where available.]
Rickey Medlocke
Rickey Medlocke
Rickey Medlocke
Rickey Medlocke and Gary Rossington
Rickey Medlocke, New Years Eve, Nashville TN
Rickey Medlocke, New Year’s Eve, Nashville, TN
Mark Matejka and Rickey Medlocke – New Year’s Ever, Nashville, TN
Rickey Medlocke, Garry Rossington, Johnny Colt
Artist: Rickey Medlocke
Birth Date: February 17, 1950
Rickey Medlocke has been playing music nearly all of his life. While most famous for fronting Blackfoot and playing guitar in Lynyrd Skynyrd, he has been playing and performing since he was a child.
He got his start playing with his grandfather, Shorty Medlocke, learning such instruments as the banjo, guitar and drums. He also learned to play the mandolin and dobro, as well as the keyboards as he got older.
Rickey played with Blackfoot from its inception until rejoining Lynyrd Skynyrd. He was a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the early seventies, playing drums on the Muscle Shoals sessions. He also wrote and sang a few songs on those sessions.
Music is a passion for Rickey; he practices or plays every day and has an energy on stage that performers a third his age can’t match. For me, personally, that energy is what has captivated me and just made me a fan from the first time I watched him live.
I will rarely say I am the biggest fan because a lot of the time I’m late to the party. I had known a Blackfoot song or two and a Lynyrd Skynyrd song or two. But in 2010, the first time I got to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live I was hooked. I had to have everything I could get my hands on. Now I had seen Lynyrd Skynyrd and Montgomery Gentry on CMT Crossroads, I remember taping it. I am a Montgomery Gentry fan. I knew of Blackfoot from Warrant covering “Train, Train.” That was about it until 2010.
In 2010, my boss opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The rest as they say is history. I was hooked on everything Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackfoot. I bought the “Lyve” DVD before I went to New Jersey to see Lynyrd Skynyrd live and I just fell in love with Rickey and the way he played. It is one of those things you can’t explain. He’ll often say that the pre-crash version of Lynyrd Skynyrd had this “magic” about them, well he does, too.
Through interviews, articles and stories I have learned a lot about Rickey, Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the whole scene that they emanated from. I still have much more to learn, but as time goes by I learn a lot about what drives people with longevity in this business. Rickey was once asked how to describe himself in three words. Those three words were “a real musician.” That is the definition of someone who would play no matter what, they live and breathe music and it is a big part of their soul.
I appreciate that, it is what has endeared me to the musicians that I admire. Many of those are guitar players – Marty Stuart, Keith Urban, Vince Gill – and they all have a passion for music that shows in everything they do. Rickey’s passion is evident, always front and center, he enjoys himself and that makes him fun to watch.
Rickey, of Native American heritage, is also working with First American Productions on a series of documentaries about reservations and Native heritage in America. The first episode of “Homeland Nation” was about the Mescalero Apache. Rickey narrated, interviewed guests and wrote and performed songs for the soundtrack. Additional episodes are in the works as well.
The music selections for Rickey’s Artist of the Week feature are selections from throughout his career with Blackfoot, Lynyrd Skynyrd and solo pieces as well. All of the following selections, except for “Guitar Slinger’s Song And Dance” can be found on Rhapsody and links are below (and iTunes).
You can also check out the following YouTube videos:
1. Native American Music Awards 2008 (Rickey was inducted into the Hall of Fame) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGmgbgB8Axk – This video contains the song “Guitar Slinger’s Song And Dance.”
